Rock News

Courtney Love first to defend tweet at trial

In a case that could have far-reaching effects for users in the Twitterverse, Courtney Love has become the first person to defend an allegedly defamatory tweet in a U.S. courtroom.

Jury selection in Love's so-called "Twibel" trial is under way in Los Angeles. The rocker is accused of libel linked to a 2010 tweet, that's since been deleted, about her former attorney.

In the message, Love suggested Rhonda Holmes took a bribe to get out of helping her bring a fraud case against the executors of the estate of her late husband, Nirvana frontman Kurt Cobain.

Love argued last month that her tweet should be considered an opinion due rampant content exaggeration on the Internet and that she accidentally made it public instead of sending it as a private direct message. A Los Angeles Superior Court judge rejected the argument and set the case for trial.

A jury will now determine how defamation should be applied to social media messages.